Seeking Solitude
by sanctum-c
Summary: Agnes heads out on her own on the Grand Ship.


Agnes decided to explore on the third day of the Grand Ship's flight after the novelty of the first few days had worn off. Staring down at the sea or gazing out across the vast landscapes of clouds high in the sky was no longer as enthralling as it had been. Like the others she had spent some time on the bridge with Ringabel as he piloted and enjoyed the conversations they all shared. But now she wanted something else to do. Somewhere else to go. Somewhere new. The Drunken Pig was too familiar by now and she would need to return there for supper later. The inn felt claustrophobic during the day, the too dark rooms making her want to be anywhere else. That appeared to leave only the bridge. As much as she had grown used to Ringabel, Edea, Airy and Tiz, she still missed the quiet of the temple. She wanted to be able to shut herself away from the rest of the world for just a little while.

So she wandered. Starting from the inn, she picked a side-street and decided to see what lay down it. All too soon she realised the flaw in her plan. There was no one with her and she was already lost. Agnes did not know if she was one street away from the inn or twenty. Sighing, she decided to make the best of the situation; the others would look for her when they noted her absence. Airy - or maybe Tiz - would lead the charge to locate her. For now she was alone and it was better to enjoy it while she could. With a renewed spring in her step, Agnes continued on her way.

The sun was bright high above her, the air crisp and cool. A faint breeze ruffled her hair and as she reached up a hand to brush the fluttering strands away from her face, she noticed the shop. She had wandered into what appeared to be a shopping district on the vessel, all the establishments standing empty. Dark doorways gaped on all sides; most seemed empty while others were still crammed floor to ceiling with items. The shop that caught her eye boasted a window display of board-games and jigsaw puzzles. While her life as vestaling had been one of meagerness, there was still some entertainment in the temples. Agnes's favorite activity had always been old puzzles. She had been working on one for some time, an old and faded painting of Ancheim. A shame there had been no time to to look for it before, though given the damage elsewhere, she held little hope it had survived. Temptation blossomed all the same; the shop might have the same puzzle. Or failing that, it might have another that she could do.

She took a step forward and stopped. The shop, while abandoned by its owner, was not hers. She did not own the Grand Ship; none of her companions did - even though they commanded it and directed the ship's flight path. She could not just wander into this store and act as if she owned the place. But by the same token, the owner of the shop was absent. But should she assume they never would return? She could not say for certain. She dithered, wanting to look at the jigsaw puzzles, take one, begin assembling it but stealing it was a step too far. As much as she had made use of the Thief asterisk, there was a limit to rule bending. She had broken so many since leaving the Wind temple, altered so much of her thinking, but she did not want to carry on regardless.

She checked through her clothes, seeking out the emergency pg she carried in case of her separation from the others. She should have enough to at least buy one. Mind made-up she entered the store, her footfalls disturbing the layer of dust that lay across everything. She peered at packed shelves, nudging boxes out of the way, searching for an image of Ancheim just like the one she remembered. She kept looking, hoping, heart leaping each time she found a similar, yet different image. After an exhaustive search she stared around the cramped shop again. Her puzzle was not here.

It was disappointing but not disheartening; it had been a fleeting hope. There were more modern depictions of the city, but not the one she remembered from her past. No matter. Several other designs caught her eye, including a rendering of Florem far closer to her old memories of the city. She smiled, sliding the box from the stack on the shelf and placing it on the counter. Agnes counted out the correct pg and not wanting to rifle through the till, stacked the coins beside it. She stared at the box and the image on it. Her own jigsaw. Now there was the question of where to assemble it. She should head back to the inn while it was still light to at least try and get back before the others missed her. But what if she got more lost? She had little doubt they would find her once they came looking. In the mean-time; there was floor-space enough for her to begin her puzzle.

She settled herself onto the bare floorboards and opened the box, searching for the edges. She paused at the sight of the dust all around her; in her eagerness she had overlooked the state of the shop. Brushing dust from her dress she looked for something to clean the store with. A small cupboard half hidden at the rear of the establishment contained a brush and she swept the floor as clean as she could. Agnes re-seated herself and plucked her first piece from the box, spotting another nearby. She pushed the pieces around on the floor, matching relative positions based on the box image, smiling as she worked. The border of the jigsaw began to take shape as she became drawn into her activity.

"Agnes!" She had the complete outline of the puzzle now, the edges beginning to thicken and clumps of image now floating in the centre. She looked up to see an out of breath Tiz at the shop's doorway.

"Tiz," she smiled. Her thoughts caught up with her. "Oh. I'm sorry, I lost track of time." She made to stand up, but Tiz held out a hand.

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're okay." The shop's contents ensnared his attention and he stared around in wonderment. "There's so many puzzles here."

"Do you want to try one too? I think I saw one for Caldisla." She pointed to a nearby shelf.

Tiz smiled. "I haven't tried a jigsaw in years," he said, pulling the box from the shelf and staring at the image. Agnes wondered if she should mention her payment for the puzzle, but Tiz had already settled himself onto the floor. No matter; she could not dictate his actions in the same way as her own. Agnes smiled and returned to the task at hand.

* * *

"Agnes! Tiz! Edea! Ringabel!" Airy put an extra stress on the last name as she floated in the shop doorway, her hands on her hips. It was night outside, the shop now lit by candles. The floor was almost taken up by the four semi-assembled puzzles growing in size; one of Florem, one of Caldisla, one of Ancheim and one of Hartschild.

"Ah, Airy. Sorry. We lost track of time with our puzzles," Ringabel replied with a wave, looking up from his own effort, the least advanced of the four.

"You were supposed to be finding the others and bringing them back for dinner! I was waiting for ages."

"We're sorry Airy," said Agnes as she stood, swiping at her skirt. "We'll come back now." She spared a last look at her own puzzle as the others got to their feet, only now realizing how hungry she was.

The group wandered back along the streets, Tiz leading the way towards the Drunken Pig. It was strange that she had arrived here searching for solitude, only for the others to seek her out. And yet she had not minded their company once they arrived. Each of her friends was content to settle on the floor and construct their puzzle in near silence. Agnes wondered if it was noise more than company she disliked, or perhaps it was spending time just with the other three. Odd that Airy seemed to not count, despite the inextricable connection they shared. No matter; it had been a pleasant afternoon even in her absence.

Tomorrow she would ask Tiz to show her the way back here and she hoped they could spend more quiet hours assembling the jigsaws.


End file.
